MDT: Fifth Avenue pruning a matter of safety, not aesthetic

Since Dec. 19, a crew from the Montana Department of Transportation has been trimming branches away from power lines, street lights and the road, and they have left some of the trees almost completely bare.

Montana Department of Transportation said they are doing what has to be done to the trees, damaged by the record-setting blizzard that hit the area Oct. 2-3, 2017.

But Montana State University Extension horticulturist Toby Day did not have any compliments on the appearance of some Fifth Avenue trees in Havre, calling them "an abomination."

Day said this method of cutting trees down to the trunk is called "dehorning" or "tree-topping" and can result in many different unwanted side effects.

One of the most noticeable effects of dehorning, aside from the immediate aesthetic change, is a lack of photosynthesizing components, Day said. When there aren't enough branches with leaves on them, the tree will respond in the spring by sprouting many small shoots in an attempt to jumpstart energy consumption again.

"Now you will have, say, 13 little branches where there was just one," Day said. "That's not normal practice (but) I see this kind of thing all over the Hi-Line. It's really just unbelievable to me."

Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., a horticulturist at the Puyallup Research and Extension Center at Washington State University, calls this the "hydra" look. A research article published by Chalker-Scott says trees that have taken to this multi-shoot appearance are "high maintenance, potentially hazardous," and "must be constantly pruned."

MDT Havre Maintenance Chief Matt Ladenburg said he agrees some of the Fifth Avenue trees don't look great in the wake of trimming, but he said his crew is doing what must be done.

"We do it for safety. That's our one and only mission," Ladenburg said. "Whether it be a tree or any other obstruction, we have an obligation to get it out of the way. We've been doing this for years."

Ladenburg added that in the past year there have been multiple damage claims against MDT related to vehicles - specifically campers - hitting branches along Fifth Avenue.

Most of the trees on the maintenance route have so far evaded "dehorning" because they are tall and relatively healthy. Ladenburg said some trees, mainly ones between Second Street and Sixth Street, were found to be rotting, which make them a falling risk. In response to this discovery, MDT workers cut away at the trees until they reached healthy wood in order to remove all signs of rot, leaving nothing but trunks.

Ladenburg said, aside from one tree which may have to be completely removed, he expects all of them to make a speedy recovery.

"It's amazing how quickly they grow back," he said. "That's why we have to keep doing this work. I'm sure we'll be back in a few years trimming them again."

Day said he also believes the trees will survive.

"Trees are super resilient," he said. "I would say they will recover."

He did, however, say that he and his colleagues believe in a "quality of life" when dealing with trees. He said MDT could consider just completely removing the problem trees if they won't be allowed to flourish due to their obstruction of cars or power lines.

The maintenance project is still ongoing, Ladenburg said, and it will be completed once scheduling and weather permit. The aim of the work is to trim back all rotten and low-hanging branches on Fifth Avenue between U.S. Highway 2, which is First Street in Havre, and 10th Street.

Until winter subsides it will be difficult to know how the trees react to this project, but once the work is done, Ladenburg said, he expects his crew will once again be able to let the trees grow freely for years to come.